Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria is currently facing huge pressure from certain quarters in the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), to prune down the number of invited players for the world cup qualifiers games against Rwanda and Zimbabwe respectively to 25 instead of 23.
In the announcement by the NFF making the list of provisional players public, they said the list of players will be reduced to 23 for both games starting with the away game against Rwanda in Kigali, before the game against Zimbabwe in Uyo.
However sources say the NFF were not entirely satisfied with the 23 names picked by the coach citing an imbalance especially in defence, where only three center backs in William Troost-Ekong, Gabriel Osho and Calvin Bassey were picked in the final list.
The NFF want the coach to increase the number to 25 to accommodate one more centre back with the duo of Jordan Torunarigha and Igho Ogbu favourite to be picked. There is also a chance that Enugu Rangers defender Ifeanyi Onyebuchi could be drafted in as well.
Talks are said to have intensified in the last few days with the coach and the NFF hierarchy, and a decision is expected to be made later today before the final list is made public later today.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
